Choice to work from home will be ‘front and centre’ in bank talks: union

The Finance Sector Union says it will push for bank staff to have the right to request work-from-home arrangements where possible when it starts re-negotiating collective agreements with Westpac, NAB and CBA in the coming months, as it argued for workers to have more choice about returning to offices.

After banks started encouraging staff to return to the office on some days of the week earlier this month, FSU national secretary Julia Angrisano on Tuesday said the union would try to enshrine certain work-from-home (WFH) provisions in enterprise bargaining agreements, which expire at several major banks this year.

Workers should not have to absorb increasing commuting costs when their work can be done at home, the finance union says.Credit:Istock

Ms Angrisano has also written to more than 50 employers across the financial sector saying finance workers should not be forced back into the office if they have real concerns about safety to themselves or their families, citing staff concerns about contracting COVID-19, long commutes and caring responsibilities.

While all the major banks have adopted some form of “hybrid” working for office workers, the union released a survey of 70 members on Tuesday, which found about two thirds of respondents were worried about catching COVID-19 when returning to the office.

Ms Angrisano conceded WFH arrangements needed to work for both employers and staff, but she said some banks had ordered their staff back into offices for a few days a week in an “arbitrary” way. The union expects to start enterprise bargaining talks with Westpac and NAB in May, while CBA’s agreement will expire in June.

“For us as a sector this is a big issue, and we will make it front and centre of our key negotiating claim across the two that are coming up first, which is Westpac and NAB,” Ms Angrisano said in an interview.

“Requesting a work-from-home arrangement is a right that we want to have secured in the collective agreement.”

“So when considering an employee’s request for a work-from-home arrangement, we would expect that the employer would consult with the employee, genuinely try to reach agreement on what that work-from-home arrangement would look like, and that there would be flexibility that would accommodate the employee’s circumstance and the needs of the business.”

ANZ, which also has a hybrid work policy, has in recent years rolled over an enterprise agreement that expired in 2017, but Ms Angrisano said the union still planned to engage with the bank on its work-from-home proposal.

Banks argue they are already providing staff with flexibility by allowing them to work from home for some of the time, provided their job is suited to it.

NAB’s group executive for people and culture, Susan Ferrier, said there was a need for some bankers to be in offices or branches on occasions, and the lender supported people in returning to the office.

“We acknowledge that some colleagues may feel concerned about returning to the office and catching public transport to work. There will be a period of adjustment, and we are supporting our people leaders and colleagues every step of the way,” Ms Ferrier said.

A Commonwealth Bank spokesman said flexibility was already built into the bank’s hybrid working approach introduced a year ago, “which anticipates and encourages our people to work both in the office and also remotely.”

“This is a matter for individual employees and their managers to think about the needs of their customers, their teams and their personal circumstances when deciding which location works best for all concerned,” the spokesman said.

Westpac chief executive Peter King said in February the bank expected staff to spend time in the office, alongside flexible working from where they chose to work.

The union also wants finance sector employers to implement the option of “fully remote working where possible,” and for workers to have a right to “disconnect” from work demands, such as emails or calls, out of standard working hours.

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